Technology is something that should enable homeowners to simplify their lives. Home automation should entertain you, protect you, keep you as comfortable as possible and make your lifestyle as automated as possible. In an ideal world, it’s like having a butler, security guard and automated home entertainment system rolled up into one.
Home automation technology is being used in every room in the house now, including bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and common rooms. With a user interface like a touch panel which is mounted or placed within a room, it allows you to call up the Internet, TV, videos, movies, and audio-video distribution throughout the whole house.
But despite its many attributes, many people are not aware of the benefits a home automation system can provide. At Trade Mark Design & Build in Hawthorne, New Jersey, it’s perceived as something that can both simplify your life and save energy through an easy-to-use platform, says Paul DeFeis, senior managing partner with 15 years of extensive experience in Residential Design.
Home automation systems provide a host of services, many of which the vast majority of homeowners are completely unaware of. Just some of them are:
- It also allows you to remotely check the temperature controls in the house, as well as keep an eye on security cameras from any laptop or computer. You can even turn lights and heating on and off from abroad, enabling you to return home from a trip away to a home that is toasty warm or cool and inviting.
- People can wear an ID badge as they drive into their home, which will enable them to turn lights on and off. It will identify them and unlock the door for them, it can turn on their favorite music or television program based on activities they pre-program. You can set it to wake you up at a certain time with specific music, or pipe in soothing music when you’re having a shower.
- It also works well as an added security measure, and not only with door locking. You can pre-program it to alert you when a child gets out of bed or opens the fridge. It can also set off an alarm when a teenager sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night.
Trade Mark Design & Build has residential system designers whose role is to ask people what their expectations of a home automated system will be, and help them program it correctly. If people have too many buttons in front of them, they will press them and make the system go haywire, which will translate into hundreds of service calls, leading to frustration. The role of an experienced installation company is to simplify their expectations into the user panel and train the customer throughout the process in how to use it.
Home automation systems are recommended for people who have the money and want to simplify their life, for people who travel a lot, and for those who worry about their family’s security and safety. While it’s expensive, it can also be cost-effective, especially in larger homes where residents, especially children, tend to leave lights on.
For people who are investing a lot of money into making their homes and lifestyle top quality, home automation systems are worth it. There is also a certain “wow” factor in showing off to your friends, family and neighbors.
